


It Takes a Village

by Tabithian



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-14
Updated: 2013-03-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 06:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/719862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gotham's not the only place with claims on terrible things, but sometimes it's really fucking hard to remember that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Takes a Village

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt from a-smokeless-fire.
> 
> This can be read as Gen or pre-slash, depending on how you look at it. :D?

Gotham's not the only place with claims on terrible things, but sometimes it's really fucking hard to remember that.

Case in point: a bunch of dead guys, a shitty apartment, and smack dab in the center of it a baby.

The tiny little room at the back of the apartment is cleaner than the other rooms, but only just. The crib is nothing more than a cardboard box with blankets at the bottom and the sides cut down. Inside is a tiny, red-faced baby squalling its head off.

“Fucking hell,” Jason says.

The baby's clothes are clean, as is the bedding in its crib. There's an overturned box nearby acting as a table with baby supplies on it. Whatever else these guys were doing, they were trying to care for the baby. (That's not going to do a lot to tip the scales in their favor, but it's _something._ )

The smart thing to do is clear out before the cops come, not that they'll be there anytime soon given the neighborhood, but. They'd know better what to do with this mess than Jason does.

The baby's crying cuts off at the sound of his voice, startled. It looks up at him with huge eyes, tears on its face. Small and fragile and alone now, and there's something sharp in his chest at that, because this kid. This _baby_ is alone. (There was a reason Jason went after these assholes. He hadn't expected to find the baby with its father. Hadn't expected to find a baby at all.)

Jason knows Gotham. 

He knows Gotham and her shitty social services and this kid, this fucking baby isn't going to have an easy time of it. Better than most, maybe, due to how young it is, but. 

“I'm probably going to regret this, huh, kid?”

The baby blinks at him, calming down now that the loud noises have stopped. He doesn't even know if it's a boy or a girl, and doesn't care to find out.

“Sorry, kid,” he says, carefully picking the baby up. “Nothing personal.”

Jason has enough trouble with the damn strays around his building, like hell he's letting a fucking baby get close.

********

He's not expecting the red carpet treatment when he goes to the Manor. Hell, about the only thing he's expecting is that the door won't get slammed in his face, and that's only because Alfred would never allow it.

As it is - 

“Master Jason, it's good to see you.” 

There's a pause, Alfred taking in the small bundle in Jason's arms, eyebrow going up. “And the young guest as well.”

“It's not mine, Alfred,” Jason says, gruffer than he means to. It's just. _Alfred_.

“I wouldn't dare to presume,” Alfred says, obviously amused.

Jason sighs, shifting the baby in his arms. He wasn't sure about this in the first place, but the Manor's a better choice than Jason's apartment, and -

“Do come in,” Alfred says, no give in his voice.

Jason thinks about leaving anyway, second guessing himself now that he's there, but Alfred _looks_ at him. 

It's the same look he used to give Jason when he was younger, before everything. The look that used to show up when Jason tried to filch cookies before they were properly cooled, when he tried to sneak out after Bruce when grounded from patrol with a cold. The look that even Bruce wilts under when aimed at him.

“Thanks, Alfred,” Jason mumbles.

Alfred smiles at him, looking older than Jason remembers. “No thanks necessary, Master Jason.”

********

Jason doesn't know whether or not to be relieved that Bruce is off-world with the Justice League. On the one hand, no Bruce being Bruce at him and the baby. On the other hand, that means Dick and the rest of the Bat brats feel free to get into Jason's business.

“Fuck off,” Jason snarls, when he sees them lined up outside the room Alfred set aside for the baby. “The kid's sleeping.”

It had been a battle getting the baby down for a nap, and he is not going to be held responsible for his actions if one of these sons of bitches wakes the baby up.

“Jason,” Dick says, reproving. “Alfred said there was a baby?”

Jason bares his teeth when he sees demon spawn open his mouth to say something, but Replacement kicks him, hissing something to him that has the brat keeping his trap shut.

“None of your business, Dickie,” Jason says.

Dick being Dick, however, just keeps on trucking. 

“Where are the parents?” Dick asks, like that's not asking to open a fucking can of worms with this crowd.

“Dead,” Jason says flatly. “Daddy dearest had a fight with mommy and only one of them made it out.”

“Jason - “

“Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to,” Jason says. 

Dick's mouth turns down at that, and he can see the slight flinch from Replacement, because he _knows_. He has to know, Jason wasn't exactly subtle, and the kid has a better information network than Jason does.

“Jay - “

“Ask Replacement if you're so interested,” Jason says. “He knows.”

Dick turns to look at the kid then, and Replacement sighs, glaring at Jason.

“Thanks, Jason.”

Jason grins, more teeth than anything and says, “Anytime, Replacement.”

He gets the hell out while he can, Dick grilling the poor bastard while Jason makes an escape. He has some things to take care of in Gotham, loose ends.

********

The plan had been to dump the baby at the Manor, but after that? Jason doesn't fucking know.

He trusts Alfred with the baby, and as shit as Bruce is at the whole emotions thing? He's a hell of a lot better at being a parent than anyone gives him credit for. (Not that Jason would ever admit it, but. He never would have brought the baby anywhere near him if he didn't think that.)

When he gets back to the Manor a few days later it's to find Dick in the kitchen with the baby making train noises.

It's pretty even as to who has more food on them, the baby or Dick, but neither one of them seems to care.

“The fuck,” Jason says, not sure what to think.

“Shush,” Dick says, grinning over at him. “It's time for lunch.”

Jason. Wow. This was never something he expected to see.

“He likes the train, but I don't think he's a fan of airplanes,” Dick goes on, like that's a normal topic of discussion for anyone ever. 

And then Jason has to do a double-take because - 

“He's a boy,” Dick says, setting the little jar of baby food down. He's smiling at Jason, soft, understanding. “Leslie gave him a check-up, he's doing fine.”

Jason.

He.

Dick's still watching him, concerned the longer Jason doesn't say anything. (What could he say? He hadn't even thought to have a doctor look at the baby, busy with other things.)

“Jay - “

“You're a freak,” Jason manages finally, sounding like shit. “I hope you know that.”

Dick picks the baby food back up and makes an exaggerated face at the baby that gets him to laugh, little hands waving in delight. 

“Freak,” Jason says again.

********

The Replacement approaches Jason some time later, papers in his hands and a wary look on his face.

“The hell is this?” Jason asks, flipping through the papers.

“Um.”

“Replacement.”

“His papers?” Replacement asks, talking so fast Jason almost doesn't catch the words.

“What?”

Replacement sighs, giving Jason an annoyed look. “No one's looking for him,” he says, eyes dark. “No reports of a missing child, nothing from unofficial channels.”

Jason wasn't expecting there to be, and Replacement had to have known better, but that doesn't mean they didn't hope someone might want the baby, that someone might care about him.

“Replacement - “

“I had Barbara help me with these,” Replacement says. “They're indistinguishable from the real thing.”

Better, probably, knowing those two.

“We, uh.” Replacement makes a face. “We didn't know what his name was, so when you pick one let us know and we can get the rest to you later.”

They can't use Jason's real name, but.

“Thanks, Baby Bird.”

Replacement smiles at that, hesitant, unsure. “No problem,” he says, and walks away leaving Jason alone with the papers and one hell of a problem.

********

Finding the demon spawn reading a story to the baby has got to be up there with the most unexpected things Jason's ever seen.

He's using that dog of his as a backrest, baby boy in his lap, propped up against his chest as he reads. It's an old book that has worn corners and loose pages, and when Jason comes closer he recognizes the cadence.

Dr. Seuss.

Damian scowls over the baby's head at him, closing the book gently because he's sleeping and no matter what Jason might have to say about him, the kid's not a complete idiot.

“I was informed that young children find these books to be entertaining,” he says stiffly.

Jason's eyebrows go up at that. “Who told you that?”

“Colin,” Dick says from his spot on the couch. “You'd love him, Jay. Tiny adorable redhead. Sweetest kid in the world.”

There's a pause, long enough to have Damian turning to glare at Dick.

Dick being Dick, of course, just _grins_.

“He's Dami's boyfriend.”

“ _Grayson!_ "

Jason doesn't think he's ever seen Damian color like that, whether anger or embarrassment or both. The only thing keeping him from going after Dick is the baby.

“Yeah, well,” Jason says. “Does demon brat know about your thing for redheads?”

There's a different sort of pause then, and Jason knows the flush on Damian's face and neck doesn't have a damn thing to do with embarrassment.

“Thanks for getting him to sleep, brat,” Jason says, bending down to pick him up. “Give him one from me, yeah?” he adds, when Damian launches himself at Dick, growling all the way.

********

“This really isn't working out, kiddo,” Jason says, staring the baby down.

It's been almost a month since Jason brought him to the manor. Days and days of trial and error and fumbling his way around him. Sleepless nights when he woke up crying and no immediate reason for it. Dealing with his wordless cries for attention, for help. 

Trying to do what's best for him, even though Jason knows it has nothing to do with him. He loves Alfred and Dick, and hell. The baby adores Tim, with the blinking lights on the toys he made that make cartoon noises when the baby pressed the right panel. Damian's his favorite when it comes to stories, going quiet and wide-eyed when he speaks, patting Damian's mouth and cheeks with tiny hands.

Jason gets tired crying and hitching breaths as he hiccups, too tired to sleep and hating it. He gets spit-up and messy diapers and that same sharp hurt in his chest when he looks at the baby.

“Hey,” Dick says, coming up behind him. “Want me to take him for a while?”

Jason gets Dick popping up out of nowhere at times like this, when Jason's stretched to his limits and at his wit's end and all for this baby.

“This is a mistake,” Jason says, letting Dick take him. “Dick, I can't - “

“He loves you,” Dick says.

Jason snorts. “Yeah, right,” Jason says. And even if he did? He has no business taking the kid in, raising him with the life he leads. 

(What is he going to tell him if he ever asks about his parents? Jason did, and look where that got him.)

“Jason,” Dick says, “Look.”

Jason does.

Dick's holding the baby in his arms, and he's looking at him, little smile on his face that may or may not be due to gas. The baby makes a happy baby noise, and reaches for him, stubby little arms stretched out as far as they can go.

“He's a baby, Dick,” Jason says. “The hell does he know?”

“Babies are pretty good judges of character,” Dick says. “I'd say he knows what he's doing.”

Breaking Jason's damn heart is what the brat's doing.

“Dick - “

“Hey,” Dick says, moving close to dump the baby on him. “You're not alone with this, okay? We're here for you.”

Jason thinks he might be sick.

“A little too much?” Dick asks.

“That was a fucking Hallmark moment, Dick,” Jason says, but he got the message all the same.

********

There are a lot of people Jason could name the baby after to honor their memory, but.

“That's a lot to put on a kid, you know?” Jason says to him.

He looks back, and Jason seriously needs to have a talk with Steph because the Batman onesie is taking things a little too far.

“What do you think?”

He gets a confused look and baby handful of Cheerios thrown at him, and. Right.

 _Baby_.

********

Tim gives him an odd look when Jason tells him what he's decided to name the baby.

“Are you sure?”

Not really, no.

“It's not like you can use my real name, Baby Bird.”

Tim looks like he wants to say something about that, but. He's smart.

“I'll have the papers to you in a few days,” he says. Pauses. “Congratulations, Jason.”

Jason smacks him on the back of the head, _lightly_.

“Shut it, brat.”

********

“Jason.”

Jason isn't really surprised to find Bruce being a creepy creeper.

“Bruce.”

There's a tired baby noise, trying to get comfortable.

“Dick told me,” Bruce says, glancing at Jason.

Jason waits for it - 

“Are you sure - “

“No,” Jason says. “No I'm not.”

Jason's fucking terrified of fucking this up, of breaking the kid before he ever had a chance. 

His honesty surprises Bruce, but it's _Bruce_ , so that doesn't last for long.

“But I figure it's not like I'm on my own with him, you know?” And this is Jason trying. This is Jason reaching out.

“I know,” Bruce says, bemused. “Dick also mentioned that.”

“Oh, God. Did he Hallmark moment you too?”

Bruce's expression says it all.

“That moron,” he says, but. It's Dick. He does shit like that and gets away with it all the damn time.

“What did you name him?” Bruce asks after several moments have gone by.

Jason sighs, looking away. “Thomas,” he says. 

He can _feel_ Bruce looking at him.

“Thomas Grayson.”

They can't use Jason's name, and Bruce can only have so many kids showing up claiming to be his before things reach soap opera levels, and Dick.

Fuck, if something happens, Jason would rather the kid end up with Dick than anyone else. 

“I see,” Bruce says, and he probably does.

“Yeah,” Jason says, smiling faintly. “Bastard won't stop gloating.”

Bruce snorts, amused. “I imagine not.”

Jason looks at Bruce, then. Sees the tired smile on his face, feels that sharp hurt in his chest that's been there for longer than little Thomas has been in his life.

“This is fucking terrifying, Bruce,” he says, looking back at Thomas. “I have no idea what I'm doing.”

Bruce _sighs_ , long and weary. 

“No parent ever does,” he says, and it hurts to hear, anger and resentment and everything Jason's been carrying around with him all these years and _Bruce_. “All they can do is try their best.”

And there's no guarantee that will ever be enough.

********

“Dick,” Tim says. “No.”

Honestly, it's like Jason's trying to raise two kids, sometimes. More, when Tim and Damian get dragged into things by Dick.

“No backflips until he can walk, Dick,” Jason says.

Dick makes a pained noise, like he's being unfairly accused of being insane.

“No means no, Dick,” Jason says, sharing a look with Alfred.

He's moved into the Manor, which. Not an easy transition, fuck no, but. Things aren't as bad as they used to be.

He has Alfred to thank for that, he knows. God knows they wouldn't be where they are today without his help and pointed looks.

Bruce is watching all of them, probably wondering how the hell this happened, and what he's done to deserve this. (Jason wonders the same thing about himself all the damn time.)

“It's perfectly safe!” Dick says, looking put out.

Tim picks Thomas up and carries him over to where Steph and Cass are looking at potential clothes for the little brat.

“No Superman,” Bruce says, scowling at Dick and Tim. “Clark's insufferable as it is.”

Jason looks at them, at the little brat that got them here, squirming out of Steph's hold and starting to crawl his way over to Jason, little face screwed up with determination. 

“How the hell did this even happen?”

“It's quite the mystery, Master Jason,” Alfred says, a little quirk to his mouth.

“Understatement, Alfred,” Jason says, but he's smiling as he says it.

**Author's Note:**

> You can now find this fic translated into Chinese [here](http://www.movietvslash.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=168216&extra=page%3D1%26filter%3Dtypeid%26typeid%3D21%26typeid%3D21) by the lovely acupofsunshine! ♥ (ID：authors Passwords：123456789)


End file.
